Antunin family Gradojević - Bratutović from Dubrovnik, originally from Trebinje

This work shows the historical development of one of many city families in Dubrovnik which, according to Dubrovnik genealogies, during the middle ages arrived from Serbian countries. The focus is on the family Gradojević - Bratutović, whose founder moved from Trebinje, from Dukats of St. Sava to Dubrovnik in the thirties of the 15th century and soon became full-fledged citizen of Dubrovnik. The founder of the family, Bratut Gradojević was a clothier, he produced and sold clothes. He cooperated with other traders and his business was creditworthy. As a prominent merchant, he gained fortune and became a member of prominent Antunin association, which gathered the richest class of citizenry from Dubrovnik. His descendants proceeded with the same practice and thus enlarged family capital. Apart from Dubrovnik, family members also owned land in Primorje in the settlement of Visočani. They had possession in Konavle where they grew various cereals. Family Gradojević - Bratutović lasted over 200 years in Dubrovnik. This family derived a prominent dragoman Vicko Bratutović, an excellent expert of oriental languages, who worked as an interpreter for emperor Ferdinand III. Later he worked on the Spanish court where his life ended

Maleševci in Bileca's Rudine

Different Vlachs katuns were located in the area of Bileća and its neighbouring area of Rudine in the Middle Ages. One of the most prominent katun clan was Maleševci and its brethren, with many branches, which is the main subject of the paper. We will begin with this clan's first written records in the 14th century and continue until the beginning of the 16th century. Numerous documents about Vlachs Maleševci are preserved in Dubrovnik Archive, but some parts are either published or scattered in scientific writings and until now, they have never been systematised

Monaldo Viganti from Pesaro, pharmacist in medieval Dubrovnik

The business community from Italian cities had an important role in the development and the prosperity of medieval Dubrovnik. One of the most distinguished foreigners in Dubrovnik was the pharmacist Monaldo Viganti whose activity, based on published and unpublished materials in the Dubrovnik Archives, shown in this -paper from 30-80s of the 15th century. In addition to running pharmacy, he especially excelled in managing loan services by financing -Dubrovnik cloth producers and merchants. Viganti was a full citizen of Dubrovnik and afterwards Antunini, he intensively traded on the Apenine Peninsula and inside the Balkans. He often did business associated with other merchants. After his arrival in Dubrovnik his closest collaborator was Paolo Tomazi, pharmacist married to Viganti's sister. Later he became a member of numerous trade associations. He started his family in Dubrovnik and his heirs kept on his tradition and became prominent pharmacists in Dubrovnik. Monaldo was a link, which contributed, the prosperity of Dubrovnik and through trade activities connected Apenine and Balkan Peninsula

The business and testament of Bratoslav Predojević, a merchant in Priština and Novo Brdo

This study presents the origin, business and testament of Antunin Bratoslav Predojević from Dubrovnik, who spent most of his life, from the end of 14th century until his death in 1427, in the medieval Serbian state, on the area of Kosovo and Metohija, in Novo Brdo and Priština, where he wrote his testament. If one compares the time of Bratoslav Predojević's death and the time of his father Ilija's marriage, one can conclude that Bratoslav died quite a young man. The manner in which he ended his life remains unknown. It passed almost seven years from the drafting of the testament to its publication. Bratoslav Predojevic conducted business with many merchants from Dubrovnik and abroad, as well as with the merchants from the Serbian states. He exported silver and other goods to Dubrovnik, and he imported Italian cloth, glass, oil and other products from Dubrovnik into Serbia, and therefore, he was one of the links in a chain which connected many markets, and the medieval Serbian state with the Mediterranean

Ragusan Antunini Galeazzo Brugnoli from Mantua

The economic development of Dubrovnik from the end of fourteenth century and the start of textile manufacturing in the second half of fifteenth century encouraged the massive arrival of foreigners. Many Italian experts were motivated by the measures of Ragusan government which offered them privileges, loans and commercial spaces. One of them was Giorgio Brugnoli, a nobleman from Mantua, who had came with his family in Dubrovnik. His son Galeazzo Brugnoli, the subject of this work, once was the most significant textile manufacturer and merchant . Thanks to his business and family reputation he became the mem­ber of well-known antunini. In three mandates he led this prominent corporation. Almost the entire life Galeazzo Brugnoli tied to Dubrovnik, where he formed his family and ended his life. His descendants continued successfully his business until their family died out, 227 years after their arrival

Credit transactions of people from Cernica in Dubrovnik in the 15th century

Cernica was one of the most important settlements in the medieval Bosnia, whose development was encouraged by the caravan trade. Located on one of the major roads 'Via Drine' that caravans from Dubrovnik to Bosnia and Serbia went down, Cernica gradually turned from the caravan station into a square. Caravans that set off from Dubrovnik and followed the said road, Cernica was the first lap of their journey, where tradesmen and their pack animals took a rest. It has earlier been established that all kinds of facilities for the accommodation of tradesmen, goods and animals were constructed in the caravan stations. Gradually service, craftsmanship and commercial activities developed in Cernica and they influenced its development. The Gacko and Cernica Fields favoured the livestock farming and bee-keeping. Accordingly, livestock and its products and wax were the main exporting articles from Cernica. Depending on their proprietary state, the business people from Cernica went to Dubrovnik and purchased goods, mainly fabric in delayed payment. After a certain period they sold the fabric and other goods, and settled their debts both with money and other goods necessary on the Dubrovnik market. More than a thousand documents mentioning the medieval Cernica and its population were saved in the Dubrovnik archive. Based on the published and unpublished Dubrovnik sources, this article presents only a segment from the medieval history of the Cernica population and credit transactions in Dubrovnik in the 15th century, that represent a basis for further and more extensive investigation of this area

The inhabitants of Gacko at work in Dubrovnik (XIV-XV century)

The process of emigration from the area of Hum and Trebinje area to medieval Dubrovnik as a phenomenon existed for centuries. The causes for this were differents in different periods, and it's already well documented. However, from this broad process, this paper is limited to the population of Gacko only, which emigrated during the XIV and XV century in Dubrovnik to find a job and to learn a skill of a craft. On the basis of published and unpublished sources from Dubrovnik, the author establishes the conditions under which the medieval population from Gacko served and learned crafts in Dubrovnik

The medieval župa: Nahiya of Vatnica

On the basis of disclosed and closed records of the Dubrovnik Archive, Turkish census from 1468-1469. and 1475-1477, researches on the ground and relevant literature, we made an attempt to discover how the župa of Vatnica got its name and to define its borders that parted the area of Travunia from the area of Hum. Vatnica had been populated before Slavic people settled the area. Recent history records present Vatnica borders vaguely and imprecisely. Our findings contradict the findings presented in history records that state Travunia borders stretch to Trusina. The župa of Vatnica was placed eastward from the župa of Dabar in Hum land, with the borderline alongside Divin and Kuti village. In the northwest Vatnica bordered župa of Nevesinje alongside Davidovići and Lukavac villages, while the southeast border was reaching župa of Rudine, east from Narat village. Turkish invasion brought in suffering and migrations with local people causing them to leave their homes. Turkish administrative system naturalized itself according to its needs thus changing the old borders. While occupied by Turks, a part of former župa of Vatnica, including Vatnica village, became a part of Turkish nahiya Dabar, but at the same time on the east side of Vatnica village existed nahiya of Vatnica stayed behind with six unpopulated villages, which was supported by the Turkish census. Windy political odds affected the medieval economy of Vatnica. Population pursued agriculture, above all grape growing. They would breed draught cattle for transport and market. Economy of this region was partly influenced by Dubrovnik where the youngster would go to find work and learn trade. Remainders of the past times are stone tombs called 'stećak' as well as the sites of orthodox churches

The memorial of Jelena Lazarević in Herzegovina

This paper presents a medieval church which was found by accident and unearthed in Cernica in Gacko. It was unknown to historiography and the general public. Namely, its construction and existence was saved via tradition, which in this case proved to be correct. According to the tradition, the church endower was Jelena, daughter of Lazar Hrebljanović, who married Sandalj Hranic, the Duke of Hum and Bosnia. It was her second marriage. A few medieval monuments - stećci were found in front of the unearthed church. On one of them, there was an inscription saying that Nikola Rasković, the Drobnjak prince, was burried there. The unearthed church and the inscription on the stećak are testimonies which confirm findings of the former explorations concerning the century-old existence of the Serbs and Orthodox belief not only on the area of Cernica but also on the area of the medieval Hum